Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-11-06
she said. ct hank you. Good after.

lorn, and OF n o consequence. Bridget
closed the dooi and brought the child
into our sitting. room.
"Clare Court is quite near" L said.
"Isit?" said Bridget indifferently.
"His mother may be anxious about
him. Shall we axe him home said |.
eyes his II other may be anxious
about him. TIN It is what | hope, said
Bridget calmly nd judicially. Il shall
, keep him here (, n an hour or two, then
we can take hin to the nearest police
at,tion and leav' his mother to find him.
his cheek is tile cut get some plas-
ter. Alice. Yot are not killed this time,
willie, so woI Id stop crying il were
gu"
The child oh eyed the voice of author
ih and stoppt d crying for a moment,
loo king mp ter tatively with wide brown
ev, IS at Bridg ct TO discover whether 1t
was safe to be gin again. The douDtwas
oui, ,kly resol 'ed he checked his sobs
and sat upri Sht on the sofa, watching
Bird get soler nyas she knelt beside him.
Ioge Their we patched the wounded check,
coaxe 4 the b use on his forehead into
health Y blue less, and bathed his little
RIHZCO NIUE dlANl Ioto anu hA9 PAO"H
ewes " atcheG us closely with grave,
earnest inter est in all our movements.
He seen led C ontented enough in his new
quarters. dr. NIX the milk that Bridget
brought him and looked up over the
cup while no drank to laugh confdingly
into Brio get s eyes, and by and by set
fled bims, III costly into the warm corner
of the sol 4 and fell asleep against the
cushion.
The aft Tnoon wore away, and the
Gas was whted in our sitting-rOom.
Bridget S. before the fire and sewed
and talked Fdicially in an Unconditional
way. "At areless mother needs to DO
taught n les son," she said. 1.-The more
punful the experience the longer she
wll remem Der it. You are pitful,
Alice. Yes i anu not 1t satisfies me
to inAct pun Shmonts. :,
A footstep came past our window and
stopped. and presently our bell rang,
orr landlady shutfied through the pas
sage TO the DO or and presently shutiled
into our sittil groom and brought IN
visitor.
a man O. III name o Verify" she
said. "Hc's CO me az ter his little boy
the boys father Miss.
Verify came . 'Orws. I'd into the light.
He was tall, StrCng-limbed, square
sLouldered man OF nirty two or three
q workman in s.W orkmans dress and
with Workman rough, strong, hard
ened hands and N u lcular wrlsts-a good
looking man, with well-shaped mouth
and chm, shaggy = yebrows that the sun
had bleached. aud grave. gray, pleasant
ewes that looked away from me at
Bridget Bird lets rose from her seat, and
it was to her aat he spoke.
"Im come alter my little lad, he
said. making lis big voice gentle. I'm
OBLIGED 10 vo, aor being troubled with
him. And II nmore obliged to you for
what I'm told YOU did.
Bridget was standing by the sofa. She
looked up at Y entity slowly, with calm,
impassive glan c..
"As the ch la was there" she said,
"tbe reasonab thing to do was to carry
him out of dan wE. 1t was pity lie was
there.
She had mea 1t to say more, | think,
but looking NJ : at Verify and meeting
his glance. she forgot her own intention.
There was sin PIE dignity, manllness
about him that enforced respect. lie
WAS not man whom woman would
ever lecture hgl lily the woman would
be bold who dare d TO blame his wife to
him.
"He is a very little child" she said
mildly, "to run about the streets
alone. . -, ,,,
Verify bent dov n and lifted the child
into his arms, put ing the curly head, IN
an awkward, ten Ter way, against his
shoulder. Hes no business IN the
streets. " he said. " Poor little lad They
forgot to look after him, and I'm out by
dav. That's all TN suse a father IS
:. Has he 10 mot her ?" asked Bridget.
q LITTLE awkward,y, but with gentleness.
"No. no mother, said Verify gruflly,
looking away from Bridget.
There was me ment's pause. The
child was sleeping soundly against his
fathers shoulder til father and Bridget
both watched him in silence. Then, as
though reluctantly,t heman moved TO 60
.'Well. he said, "he' growing up he Il
/ be "a Dig lad soon"
Bridget stood hold ing open the door.
/ She looked at the ch Id and then looked
a little further up In % the fathers face
and smiled. To see Bridget smile was
the rarest sight.
THAT soon , SET ms good way Oil,
she said. $50,
They passed Olt of the room together.
Bridget went through the passage with
him TO open the street-doOr lest lie
sh,nld disturb tho child The cold
outcr air swept in es the door was
onenel. the man stood for a moment IN
the doorway, tn anked her again, and
bade her q" good L Ight y; then his steps
passed the window, and Bridget shu,
the door sharply and came back to the
sitting-room.
Sne did not begin u work at once.
She stood musingly be fore the fire and
discoursed TO herse II and to me retiec-
lively.
1.-Two hours asted !" she said.
"Two good hours of the day Let us
never save a child gain. Did you think
that man would eve go
"Was he here many minutes J
said o.,
An unconscou able time !" said
Bridget, 4" he talk I'd to me conhdingly
} about his bsby's v'oes-did it amuse
Won. Alice? He took me to be tender
hearted. He thinks | go about the
5 world to pick up SUI al, stray children,
/ to plaster their cheek and mend their
: knees and fists. 1t is strange to see
b ones self as Il phila ntaropist-a bene.
! factor of small babies. Do you like small
4 babies. Alice ?-and when their socks
2 hang over their shoes IN crumpies and
Their fingers are sticky with but
S ter and cake do you still like them
!. Yes, some women Go, | know-somt
4 women have won1e riul sodls. That
!. man-what was the ma u, do you think ?
Il certainly a worhangnan. The working
: man does not interest me. That's pa
5 gan sentimem; in these philanthropIC
J. days-but let us be truthful sometimes
n And aow-now let u6 get TO work. How
IS we have wasted this &fttrnoon?